Stop it with the Email! How to actually manage your WordPress project the right way…

“Hi Max. Last night, whilst watching Game of Thrones, I had this awesome idea for a new WordPress project. What I’d like you to do is…”

And so it begins…

And so it begins

You and your developer, Max, shoot a few emails back and forth and then you both realize that you’re going to need some UI/UX work done. You forward on the email trail (well, most of it, because you ended up having more than one email thread) to Kit, your UX go-to gal, to bring her up to speed.

You’re not exactly sure where the project is up to so again, you shoot off a few emails. That should do it!

At this point Max and Kit are getting frustrated. They’re spending a bunch of time keeping each other, and you, up to speed on what you want because not everyone received the email. You’re sure you sent it, so you get a bit annoyed at your team. You also want to know what’s happening with your awesome idea. Is it ready for you to do some testing on? So you shoot out another email to find out what’s going on.

What the f^&^%^* h%* is going on!

You and your team are all getting just a bit annoyed at this whole email debarkle… you want to make great stuff!

The fix

In searching for a better way to get your project going you came across agile methods. At their core, agile is about clear and open communication that focus on collaboration and creating working software. If you are new to agile or Scrum then it’s worth spending a few minutes reading up on the subject.

Thankfully, you stumble across Agile Bench (hey, that’s us!) and you put your great idea into our online tool. Suddenly you can see what is going on.

An Agile Story Wall

With techniques like Story Walls, it’s pretty obvious what Kit and Max are working on, you can even see their faces on the work. You can see what work is blocked from going forward, so you can get in there and lend a helping hand. And you can see how much work is left to do – all in one, simple, screen.

And if you want to dig in and find out more information you can.

Keep track of your conversations and changes

And bang, you’re on your way, no email required…

Learning how to deliver with an agile approach does require some time.

And I believe the best way to start learning is to get started, do your best, and continue to improve.